Strategy
by kishtrethya
Summary: A one-shot in which Momo and Echizen set out to discover the Golden Pair's secret. Shonen-ai; MomoRyoma, OishiEiji


Author's Note: Just a drabble that ended up longer than I thought. Please let me know if any of my facts are wrong, because I'm not very far in the series. Thanks!

---

Strategy

It was a day like any other. The grass was green, the sky was blue with a few clouds, and the Golden Pair had just finished trouncing Momoshiro and Ryoma soundly.

"You two win again," Momo grumbled. "I don't know how you do it."

Eiji waved a racket at him, attempting to look stern. "You have to help each other, nya! You're both playing a separate game, and that won't work against us!" He grinned at his partner.

"It's true," Oishi confirmed, smiling. "You two still have to figure out how to back each other up, not just play like you would in singles."

"Well, we knew _that _already," Momo said, snorting. "Everyone's told us _that. _Right, Echizen?"

The young tennis player was leaning against a tree, clearly not listening. Momo walked over and poked him with a foot. "Hey!"

"What do you want?" Ryoma mumbled, pulling his cap farther down.

"Never mind!" Momo huffed.

The Golden Pair exchanged a definite Look.

Momo eyed them suspiciously. "What was that?"

"Nothing, nya!" Eiji sang. The pair shared another knowing glance, to Momo's irritation.

"Do you still want to go out for ice cream?" Oishi asked with a warm look at the redhead.

"Hoiiiiii!" Eiji squealed, nearly leaping into the vice captain's arms. "You're the best, Oishi, nyaaa! Bye, Momo and Ochibi!" he added, before grabbing his laughing partner's hand and dragging him away.

Momo came to an abrupt decision. "Oi, Echizen!"

"What?" Only one of Ryoma's eyes was showing.

Momo was watching the Golden Pair walking away (or skipping away, in Eiji's case). "They've got to have some sort of strategy they're not telling us," he muttered. "And," he said, louder, "it's up to us to find out what it is!"

"A strategy?" Ryoma asked doubtfully "Like what?"

"Well, I don't know!" Momo informed him. "If I knew, we wouldn't be following them!"

"Following them?" Ryoma looked absolutely incredulous. "Momo-senpai, are you crazy?"

"You should respect your elders," Momo said imperiously. "Come on, Echizen! Or do I have to drag you?" Before thinking about it, he reached down and took hold of Ryoma's hand.

They both realized a second later, and they both stared at their linked hands in surprise. Neither one blushed, exactly, but they were silent for a moment, unmoving.

"Well, I guess I won't _drag _you," Momo mumbled, releasing Ryoma's hand.

"Mada mada da ne, senpai," Ryoma commented, but it didn't have much feeling behind it. He followed a sheepish Momo out of the park where they'd been practicing, for lack of a better option.

Ten minutes later, they were standing outside the ice cream shop, concealed behind some bushes. Momo was peering out every once in a while, watching Eiji and Oishi standing in line to buy ice cream. Ryoma was trying to pretend he didn't know Momo.

"Is this part of their strategy?" Momo whispered, mostly to himself.

"Eating ice cream?" Ryoma was openly skeptical. "I doubt it, senpai."

Paying him no heed, Momo kept talking. "Hmm. They're laughing about something. I wonder what it is?"

"Maybe they're discussing some brilliant plan to beat us again," Ryoma said sarcastically.

Momoshiro, of course, took him seriously. "Maybe," he said, narrowing his eyes. "I wish I could hear what they're saying..."

Ryoma rolled his eyes and sighed. "You'd better buy me something to eat after this, senpai."

"Ack! Echizen, quick, hide!" The Golden Pair were walking toward the door, holding hands and eating ice cream, while Eiji chatted animatedly.

"Senpai-" Ryoma began, but he cut off when he was shoved into the convenient alley next to the ice cream shop. "Ouch! That hurt!" He was being squished against a very solid brick wall, and was blushing, since Momo-senpai was pressed against him...

"Shhhhhh!" Momo hissed. "They'll know we're following them!"

"Get off, Momo-senpai," Ryoma complained, ignoring Momo's demand that he be silent.

Momo stuck his head out of the alley cautiously, looking around. "Come on, Echizen! We'll lose them!"

"I'm not the one who cares," Ryoma said, but he was ignored again.

Momo grabbed Ryoma's arm (both of them careful not to let the hand thing happen again) and walked quickly after Seishun's star doubles players.

They headed for the park in town, which had some very nice ornamental gardens. Momo and Ryoma were too busy to enjoy the beauty, however.

Ryoma tried not to let Momo-senpai pull his arm off while wondering why he'd agreed to this idiotic thing in the first place.

Suddenly, Momo stopped and Ryoma ran right into him. "Stop doing that!" Ryoma demanded. "My arm still hurts from that wall!"

Momo seemed to develop a conscience and looked at the boy in concern. "Sorry. They stopped and sat down on a bench. You all right?"

Ryoma was spared from having to answer, because just then Momo pushed him behind yet another shrubbery.

Ryoma glared, and Momo grinned weakly. "Heh. Sorry, Echizen. Oishi was looking this way. You know how he sees everything..." he trailed off as Ryoma didn't look like he was going to be placated.

"We have to get closer," Momo decided, changing the subject. "I can't hear anything from here."

Eiji and Oishi had finished their ice cream and were sitting together, just talking. They were still holding hands, too, Momo noticed, and wondered about that.

"They're probably not even talking about tennis," Ryoma informed his senpai. "This is a waste of time."

"They as good as they are for a reason!" Momo insisted. "We need to find out why so that we can beat them! We've never beaten them, Echizen!" he said, stressing the "never." "We have to find out how to win!"

Momo-senpai certainly knew how to appeal to his pride, Ryoma reflected ruefully. "Okay, fine," he said, sighing again.

They snuck around behind the Golden Pair, taking the long way out of the park and then back in again. "They had better still be there!" Momo panted, still holding Ryoma's arm firmly.

They couldn't really see Eiji and Oishi; they were behind a large tree. If they looked out, someone was bound to see them.

Momo was still overflowing with "great" ideas. "Let's climb the tree!" he whispered.

Ryoma shook his head. "That doesn't sound smart."

"C'mon," Momo pleaded. "I'll give you a leg up, then I'll follow you. Please?" He batted his eyes at Ryoma.

"Fine," Ryoma grumbled. He wasn't sure why he kept agreeing with Momo-senpai. Maybe he'd been drugged. Yes, that would make sense...

Momo boosted Ryoma up to the lowest branch without much trouble. Then, he attempted to follow, which was slightly more difficult.

It was surprising that the Golden Pair didn't hear Momo scrambling up the tree. Maybe not too surprising, though, Ryoma thought, watching them. They seemed rather preoccupied.

Momo finally hauled himself into the tree, and waited for Ryoma's scathing comment. But no comment was forthcoming; Ryoma was busy staring down through the branches.

"Oi, Echizen, move over," Momo whispered, scooting closer. Ryoma didn't budge.

"Hmm," the seventh grader said thoughtfully. "Maybe _that's _why they play doubles so well."

"Let me see!" Momo demanded quietly. "See, my idea _was _good," he added smugly, before using his greater muscle power to make Ryoma move.

"Mada mada da ne," Ryoma muttered, meaning it this time.

Momo eagerly peered through the branches to see what Oishi-senpai and Kikumaru-senpai were doing. They were being awfully quiet. He wondered if they used sign language to discuss tennis, or what-

At least, until he saw them. Momo froze and it was fair to say that his jaw dropped.

The Golden Pair were kissing.

Not just a little, friendly kiss, either. Eiji kissed people on the cheek sometimes if he was feeling particularly happy. No, this was the kind of kiss that people only shared when they were _dating. _Or _married. _Or _something! _

Momo was quite speechless, and almost fell out of the tree. Fortunately, Ryoma grabbed his jacket and helped him regain his balance.

"Were they really...?" Momo asked dazedly.

Ryoma nodded, eyeing his senpai thoughtfully. "They still are, Momo-senpai."

Momo got over his shock fairly quickly. "So that's why they're so good!" he announced indignantly, barely remembering to keep his voice down.

"Probably," Ryoma said, still watching him.

"They're dating!" Momo said, quietly but furiously. "That's cheating! Doubles partners aren't allowed to do that! It's not fair!"

"Maybe we should try it, too," Ryoma suggested, as calm and cool as ever.

Momo outright gaped at him. Ryoma looked as though he'd just commented on the _weather _or something, for goodness' sake!

Slowly, Momo collected himself. Then, to both of their everlasting surprise, he nodded slowly. "Maybe we should, Echizen."

Neither one of them knew who really started the kiss, but the truth was they both leaned in. It was a very short kiss, being a first kiss and all, but there was something incredibly nice about it.

They leaned away, eyes on each other. Momo took a deep breath and nodded more emphatically. "We should definitely try it."

"Momo-senpai?"

"Yes, Echizen?"

"Your end of the branch is breaking."

It was a little bit late for that to be of any use. Momo let out a startled cry as he tumbled straight onto Oishi's and Eiji's heads.

---

The next day, Momo and Ryoma challenged the Golden Pair to another match. The other pair accepted readily, although Eiji was still persistently questioning why Momo had been in a tree in the park.

Momo grinned at Ryoma before they started. "Ready, Echizen?"

"Hai, Momo-senpai," Ryoma replied, a ghost of a smile on his own face.

They were trounced soundly, six games to love.

But at least they got to go out for ice cream afterwards.


End file.
